Nikita Season 3 Episode 1 – 3.0

Synopsis: Season 3 Premiere. Michael and Nikita go on their first mission under Ryan Fletcher’s lead. Using the former Division to bring in 30 rogue operatives that ignored their recall orders.

New episode teaser. Not sure I like Fletcher doing the voice over; Nikita is supposed to be the central character Nikitaafter all.

Kowloon Park, Hong Kong. A CIA operative, Davis, posing as a high end wine dealer is visiting the park with his son. Davis is approached by a man who poisons him in a way that makes it appear as a heart attack. The assassin takes Davis’s cellphone and walks away.

Division. Fletcher is in charge and they just picked up the activities from the rogue Division agent, Martin. He sends Michael to go pick up Nikita as she is not answering his calls.

Michael finds Nikita just leaving a yoga class with a couple young women. Upon returning, Birkhoff is annoyed that Michael took the car without asking.

Hong Kong. Martin meets with a local intelligence agent to take payment, but refuses to give up the CIA network. Preferring to take them out one at a time.

Division. Fletcher briefs them on neutralizing Martin who deactivated his tracker after hearing the news about Percy’s demise. Birkhoff is ready to hack the CIA to confirm who Martin is going after but Fletcher resists, “This is the new Division.”

Hong Kong. Michael and Nikita arrive posing as a couple. They retrieve their Glocks from a delivered gift basket. Nikita starts to seduce Michael but he is acting a bit jumpy. Then as they start to get more intimate Nikita stops with an idea that they can track Martin through a girlfriend as he’s been undercover as a photographer for 6 years. Nikita calls Birkhoff and he sends her to Lynn Capshaw.

Martin is with Lynn at a hotel when she gets a phone call apparently a wrong number. But Martin gets suspicious and spots Nikita and Michael approaching. He calls in the local police to report Michael and Nikita then snaps Lynn’s neck and disappears before Michael and Nikita enter the hotel room. Michael recognizes Martin’s tactic and stays behind for the police to arrest allowing Nikita to escape and go after Martin without setting a man hunt in motion.

Nikita follows Martin across some roof tops. Leaping down some fire escapes and balconies to the roof of his fleeing SUV and manages to drop Michael’s com on the SUV.

Operations. Birkhoff kicks someone away from a desk and takes Nikita’s incoming call and is able to listen to where Martin is going. Fletcher orders Nikita to regroup at a secure location.

Police Station. Michael is being questioned by the local police as the murder suspect. The officer finds an engagement ring in Michael’s jacket and considers it motive when Lynn said no to the proposal. Michael replies, “Actually I never got around to asking her. I’m going to need that back.”

Birkhoff tracks Martin to the airport. Fletcher struggles to keep Nikita on task and after Martin. He tells Nikita to stay put he’s sending in support. Birkhoff finds Martin on security footage retrieving a bag and staying in the city. Apparently he has more targets, Birkhoff gets permission to hack the CIA.

Alexandra Udinov (Lyndsy Fonseca looking amazing) makes an impressive entrance at the hotel with Sean and her entourage of agents. Nikita and Alex greet each other. Alex tells Nikita she’s not accustomed to being herself as her cover and Nikita decides to use her high profile as a distraction.

Fletcher advises Nikita of five more CIA assets assigned to Hong Kong with only one currently in the country and Martin’s next likely target.

Nikita arrives at the port in time to thwart Martin’s attempt to shoot the CIA agent. Martin calls his Chinese intelligence contact urging him to get Michael out of police custody preventing Michael’s extraction. Michael gets Birkhoff to lock him into the interrogation room.

Martin calls Nikita to offer a trade, of course Nikita refuses. Martin reveals that Amanda contacted him, Division realizes that Amanda must have decrypted Percy’s black-box, and cautioned him against trusting Division.

Nikita calls Fletcher, she wants to break Michael out and doesn’t care if it is done quietly anymore. Birkhoff patches her through to Alex and they start planning but Fletcher orders Birkhoff to cut off the call. He does so reluctantly, “Sure thing boss.”

Birkhoff goes into Fletcher’s office. “That. Was not cool.” He cautions Fletcher not to put the operation above the lives of the operatives. Notices Ryan has been sleeping in the office and tells him to relax.

Nikita arrives at the police station and sees Martin’s contact walking to his car. Nikita uses a code grabber to drop in his sun roof and cut off the call with Martin. Birkhoff is listening in and unlocks Michael’s door. Michael asks for his personal items back (the engagement ring) and watches an officer stick the ring in his pocket.

Martin appears on a roof top with his sniper rifle and calls Nikita, “You should have left Hong Kong. Now you’re going to have to watch him die.” She replies, “You were right. Loved ones are a liability. It’s a good thing I have more than one.” Alex appears beside Martin. He goes for his gun and she shoots him between the eyes. Nikita tells her hostage he can blame everything on Martin.

Alex takes out Michael’s police escort as he’s leaving the building. Nikita gets out of the black SUV to get Michael. Still in handcuffs, Michael says, “Give me the damn Glock.” A confused Nikita replies, “Where are you going?” “To get your engagement ring!” Michael makes short work of several police as they are coming out of the building as Nikita watches on stunned. Michael gets the ring back and they vacate the area.

Nikita and Ryan are talking. Nikita not happy about being cut off in the middle of an op. Fletcher tries to tell her she’s fighting for more than just her survival now. But he hesitates to explain further stating they need to stay invisible. Nikita walks away.

Ryan is on a call with the President. Where she cautions him that if Division is exposed, “I will have no choice but to send in the troops and burn it to the ground.”

Ryan takes Nikita out that night to a fountain and begins to propose. Before he actually gets to the “Will you marry me?” Nikita interrupts, “You had me at – give me the damn Glock.” He puts the ring on her finger. The show closes with Michael and Nikita in an embrace in front of the back-lit fountain. Nice shot.

So I guess I was expecting the season opener to be more than it was. Left a little empty as this 3.0 episode seemed fairly routine. Not even a teaser of Amanda or Ari. Hoping that a threat from Amanda and Ari adds to the future episodes.